New Hold ’em for Life Early-Career Professors in Cancer Research to Accelerate Discovery City-Wide

The Hold ’em for Life Charity Challenge is once again doubling down on its goal of advancing cancer care by expanding its support for clinician-scientists via the University of Toronto’s Temerty Faculty of Medicine and across our partner hospitals.

In 2025, the organization is funding six new Hold ’em for Life Early Career Professorships in Cancer Research, building on a landmark gift that launched the program and supported 12 early-career clinician-scientists last year. With this expansion, a total of 18 professorships have now been established.

This new commitment is just the latest in Hold ’em for Life’s long history of fostering the next generation of cancer clinician-scientists. The organization has also made a transformative impact on cancer research across Toronto by funding more than 200 cancer research fellowships, reinforcing complete training pathways for cancer experts.

“By investing in full training pathways — from fellowships to early-career professorships — Hold ’em for Life is helping to ensure a steady stream of talented, research-driven physicians working to improve cancer care,” says Lisa Robinson, Dean of Temerty Medicine and U of T’s Vice-Provost, Relations with Health Care Institutions.

Co-founded in 2006 by Andrew Hoffman, CEO of CentreCourt, and by Tony Reale, Hold ’em for Life was inspired by close family members of each of them who courageously battled cancer. Through its signature gala poker tournaments, the organization has brought together leaders from Toronto’s business community to raise tens of millions of dollars in support of cancer research initiatives across the city.

The 2025 cohort of Hold ’em for Life Early-Career Professors includes six outstanding clinician-scientists whose work spans multiple areas of cancer research and care:

Tomohiro Aoki
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, U of T
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN
Focus: T-cell lymphoma — unveiling novel therapeutic targets.

Joel Davies
Assistant Professor, Department of Otolaryngology – Head and Neck Surgery, U of T
Sinai Health
Focus: Head and neck oncology — virtual surgical planning to enable earlier rehabilitation.

Deepak Dinakaran
Assistant Professor, Department of Radiation Oncology, U of T
Sunnybrook Health Sciences Centre
Focus: Biophotonics — precision radiation using radioPDT nanoparticles.

Keith Lawson
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, U of T
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN
Focus: Genitourinary cancers — developing next-generation cellular immunotherapies.

Farshad Nassiri
Assistant Professor, Department of Surgery, U of T
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN
Focus: Brain cancer — leveraging the immune microenvironment of meningioma to identify new therapies.

Robert Vanner
Assistant Professor, Department of Medicine, U of T
Princess Margaret Cancer Centre/UHN
Focus: Hematologic cancers — interrogating clonal hematopoiesis to develop precision cancer care.

These appointments underscore Hold ’em for Life’s unwavering dedication to advancing cancer research, and the people who will drive tomorrow’s life-saving discoveries, across Toronto. 

“These professorships will accelerate discovery and bring new hope to patients living with cancer in Toronto and well beyond,” says Robinson. “We are so grateful to the Hold ’em for Life Charity Challenge for their continued support.”